TheInformer

sorry.......I take home $600/week MORE than when I worked in Dallas!

I'm shocked at the lack of knowledge of some of you giving responses. I have been traveling for about 6 years. Hospitals are billed by your agency. Everything you get or get paid on a contract is paid out of that money. THAT IS YOUR MONEY! Nothing from a contract is "free". You think the agency is going to cover the cost of your housing, rental car, insurance etc? THINK AGAIN! Presently in California, the bill rate is $65-$80/hour. You are paid EVERYTHING out of that amount. If you get paid $40/hour and take housing, the agency gets the difference PER HOUR! After everything, they take about 25 % of YOUR BILL RATE! Think about it. They get 25% of the bill rate EVERY HOUR! To do what, exactly? Sure, they know where the gigs are, and they act as the middleman in a contract, and they process your paycheck each week. But other than that? They get paid, when YOU get paid. If you don't work, they don't get paid. You travel nurses are actually creating jobs and wealth by working............AND YOU SHOULD BE COMPENSATED FOR IT! I take a lower hourly rate, I'm only taxed on about $12K/year.....and the maximum perdiem offered, which is tax free money. I'm pretty sure that smarter nurses make better money, but I only work contracts that pay $500-$600 per 12 hour shift AFTER TAXES! And agencies REALLY push the OT because then they jam the hospital for 150% of the bill rate, while you get to pay 100% taxes on your OT wages. Is it worth it? maybe.....but not to me. I would love to find (or start) an agency which only takes a flat rate of say, $20/hour and gives me the rest. At $75/hour bill rate, I'd be compensated at a rate of $55/hour after taxes. I think it's fair enough. The agency (for doing almost nothing) would be making $720/week for my 36 hours of work. Imagine how many nurses you'd have to have work for your agency to earn good money....10 nurses ($7200/week to your agency)? 5 nurses $3600/week for you? Anyhow, I see the last post was long ago, but maybe someone is still searching for this information. Yeah, I'm happy with my take home pay, but if the rate is way higher than I'm making, let the Market decide and pay me! And by the way, the bill rate varies widely from region to region. Everybody knows the best pay is in the San Francisco Bay area. New grads make $55/hour, and generally the travel wages are much better there too, compared with Los Angeles or San Diego, or anywhere in the South. The bill rate is a reflection of the wages of the staff nurses. I loved working near friends in Dallas, but I take home $600/week working gigs only in California. NURSES! Inform yourselves! Make hay while the sun is shining. This situation won't last forever and you should be paid BETTER for your hard work! Always looking for a good deal....................................